Florence to Sorrento - how?
 

We (family of 4 with 2 teenagers) are spending a couple of days in Florence after time in Venice.

We then have 2 spare nights before booking in to an apartment in Sorrento.

Should I stay an extra 2 days in Florence, taking day trips to San Gimignano and Siena before catching train to Sorrento?

Should I hire a car and drive to Sorrento?
I would like a taste of Tuscany but is there time to see some small towns and drive that distance?

Where should I stop over night? Where should I hand the car in?

All advice gratefully received!

ttt

Even with only two days to spare, I think you would miss a wonderful opportunity to explore the Tuscan hills if you didn't rent a car on your way south. You could pick up the car early on the way out of Florence; find some small towns to visit; spend the night in Siena at Santa Caterina which has easy access to the old town but convenient parking. Next morning more driving still heading south. Spend the night in Orvieto. At that point you can turn in the car and continue to Sorrento by train if you prefer. We did something similar for our first trip, but drove from Orvieto to the Amalfi coast. It's easily doable.

Get a car--stay somewhere near Siena---and drive to Sorrento to drop the car. Contact Autoeurope at 800-223-5555

Santa Caterina is fully booked.
We are travelling in late September.
Would you risk going with no accommodation booked and taking pot-luck?

No, you need reservations.

ditto bob

By train about every two hours there is a high-speed train from Florence direct to Naples where you change to the CircumVesuviana train that ends at Sorrento.

www.trenitalia.com for schedules Florence-Naples - trains in Italy are very cheap but petrol for cars is extremely expensive as are the extortinary autoroute tolls.

You need no car once in Sorrento as the thrilling buses go right along the Amalfi Coast very often and boats to Capri and the CircumVesuviana train to Pompeii and mini-buses to the top of Vesuvius in case you want to peer into the crater (conditions permitting)

We just took 2 young teens on a tour of Italy. While in Florence we took the train to Pisa (about 1 hr) to climb the leaning tower. They LOVED it! Kids really enjoy Pisa. You need to make reservations to climb the tower as they take so few people up now. You can make them online.
http://boxoffice.opapisa.it/Torre/index.jsp